By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
When the Angels drafted Kaleb Cowart as their first pick in 2010 (18th overall), they had a choice: whether to develop him as a pitcher or as a third baseman. He was ranked equally by scouts at both positions. Kaleb preferred to be a third baseman, and the Angels agreed. After a lengthy negotiation, Cowart finally signed, but did not get to play much before the end of the season.
At 19 years old, Cowart is drawing rave reviews by the scouts in the Pioneer League. A switch hitter, Cowart has power from both sides of the plate. He's drawing walks and working the counts. His defense is a bit behind his hitting, but, that should develop as he matures. Kevin Goldstein from Baseball Prospectus ranked Kaleb as the 47th best Minor League Prospect.
As part of AngelsWin.com's continuing coverage of the Orem Owlz, listen to our interview with Kaleb Cowart.
We also recorded some video footage of Kaleb in the batting cages, catching him hitting from both the right and left side.
And, we caught a couple of in-game at bats for Kaleb. In the first at-bat, Kaleb ground into a 5-4 force out. In the second at-bat, he grounds into an unassisted out at first base. The voice in the background belongs to the Billings Mustangs' announcer Ryan Schuiling.
